Multilayered Transcription

This book is designed as a course in the phonetic transcription of normal and disordered speech. What differentiates this book from existing approaches to phonetic transcription and conversational analysis is that it concentrates on linking together layers of detail to result in a complete record for the entire range of transcribable behaviors. Müller’s book represents the first attempt to amalgamate differing methods to give phoneticians and clinicians a transcriptional tool kit, thus allowing them to generate a rich description of their data. This approach results in a variety of layers of transcription, all or some of which are available to the clinician or researcher faced with the task of transcribing speech. The layers include a base, orthographic layer; segmental and suprasegmental phonetic layers; a gaze and gesture layer; a layer for marking aspects of discourse (e.g., overlap); and finally, a layer for highlighting behaviors of specific clinical interest (e.g., stuttering behavior). This book clearly lays out the various layers of transcription in this approach, illustrating them with normal and clinical data as well as exercises for the reader. Each chapter in the book addresses a different layer of transcription, with a final chapter illustrating how to bring the layers together. Worked examples accompany each chapter, and appendices provide a quick reference to symbols and transcription conventions. Clinicians who need to transcribe speech samples for diagnosing disorders, planning treatment, and measuring treatment efficacy milestones will value that added precision available from use of the upgraded transcription techniques elucidated in this book.